Junior Achievement Alaska Business Monthly Hall of Fame Laureate: Andrew Eker.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: Junior Achievement 2009 Special Section - The Alaska Club

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As an avid golfer and tennis player, Andrew Eker knows the secret to winning the game is to stay motivated. It is this quality, and his ability to stay focused on the issues at hand, that led to Eker's success as an entrepreneur.

"I think that motivation is the most important part of an individual's makeup," explained Eker, who is one of this year's inductees into the Hall of Fame. "You may not be the smartest kid on the block, but if you're motivated to succeed, you can go a long way."

Eker speaks from experience. In 1986, he and Tom Behan bought the Teamsters Recreation Center on East Tudor Road and turned it into a thriving fitness facility called The Alaska Club. Three years later, they bought the Anchorage Racquet Club, and in 1994, acquired the Fairbanks Athletic Club. Over the next two decades, the partners continued to buy and improve properties, ending up with 17 clubs throughout Alaska.

"Timing is everything in this business, and we hit a wave in the mid-80s when America was going through a fitness craze," Eker explained of the company's original success. "We had a nice growth curve with the first facility, and were able to continue to grow to provide opportunities for fitness in other geographic locations in the state.

"I think that we were also able to succeed because we understood how to serve customers--we provided a service that people not only wanted, but were willing to pay for," he added.

John Marchetti, chief financial officer of The Alaska Club, believes Eker's success also comes from liking what he does. "Andrew loves Alaska, and he is personally committed to exercise and living a healthy lifestyle," said Marchetti, adding that in addition to playing golf and tennis, Eker is also a talented skier and cyclist.

"Andrew is also a very strategic thinker," he added. "He understands what is important and doesn't get hung up on the little things. He is very driven and focused, and personally strives for excellence in everything that he does."

Eker, who graduated with a degree in construction management from the University of Washington, has always been driven, according to his wife of 26 years, Mary K. Hughes. "I think that number one, Andrew has tremendous drive and motivation," she said. "After completing his Bachelor of Arts and moving to Alaska, he could have worked in construction and considered it a great job. But Andrew is always looking for another thing to accomplish and another way to grow the...